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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stock — goods
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. land — to come down
  6. suit — in cards
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. land — ground
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — shares
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tube — a container
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — a country
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com